Domestic Defense Recapitalization Drives Valuation Floors via the Sovereign Shield

Issued on behalf of VisionWave Holdings, Inc.

USA News Group News Commentary

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 20, 2026 /CNW/ -- The Pentagon recently awarded over 2,400 firms access to a $151 billion contract ceiling^[1] to mobilize the U.S. industrial base for the Golden Dome missile defense architecture. This generational recapitalization of homeland security follows the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act^[2], which prioritizes domestic manufacturing resilience over legacy procurement models. This structural shift positions VisionWave Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: VWAV), AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS), Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ: KTOS), Mercury Systems (NASDAQ: MRCY), and Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB).

Analysts project the global defense market will expand to $2.75 trillion^[3] in 2026 as strategic deterrence becomes the primary valuation floor for institutional capital. The asymmetric advantage now belongs to providers controlling domestic manufacturing moats for high-frequency sensing^[2], hypersonic propulsion, and decision-speed compression technologies.

VisionWave Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: VWAV) is currently engineering a dominant multi-domain autonomy ecosystem, fusing advanced radio-frequency sensing and computational acceleration with industrial robotic platforms across the global defense and energy infrastructure complex.

VWAV is currently integrating qSpeed, its recently-acquired proprietary computational acceleration engine backed by a $99.6 million independent valuation from BDO Consulting Group, to eliminate the decision-latency wall in modern warfare.

Now VisionWave has announced its initial progress in advancing qSpeed's system-level integration architecture across WaveStrike™ RF-enabled fire-control workflows, Argus™ counter-UAS systems, and intercept evaluation scenarios where microseconds directly affect operational outcomes. By prioritizing decision-critical computation paths first, qSpeed enables rapid initial conclusions that refine continuously to collapse the action gap between sensing a threat and responding to it, compressing threat evaluation timelines from minutes into seconds without the friction of wholesale hardware replacement.

By prioritizing decision-critical computation paths, qSpeed collapses the action gap between sensing a threat and responding to it, compressing threat evaluation timelines from minutes into seconds without the friction of wholesale hardware replacement.

The integration of qSpeed into WaveStrike is specifically designed to provide RF-informed, operator-assisted aiming and fire-control support by collapsing compute cycles for range estimation and lead calculation to deliver instantaneous targeting guidance in high-velocity engagement scenarios.

The issuance of U.S. Patent No. 12,499,578 secures enforceable protection for the proprietary radio-frequency sensing and AI platform behind the Argus space-enabled counter-drone system and its SkyWeave high-frequency communications backbone.

This patent protects the core architecture of Argus and its SkyWeave high-frequency backbone, ensuring VisionWave maintains a proprietary grip on the space-enabled counter-UAS market.

VisionWave is scaling a systemic expansion into Southern Europe through its subsidiary, Solar Drone Ltd., having secured a follow-on hardware order and a strategic distribution agreement covering Italy and Spain.

The company's universal and drone-agnostic Adaptation Kit enables VisionWave's heavy-duty payloads exceeding 200 lbs to be integrated into any third-party fleet for critical high-voltage insulator cleaning and power grid maintenance.

VisionWave plans to fund up to $10 million in U.S. development over the next 6-12 months to push qSpeed toward production readiness.

CONTINUED… Read this and more news for VisionWave Holdings at: https://usanewsgroup.com/2025/09/11/the-ai-defense-technology-developments-potentially-relevant-in-2025-26/

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) was awarded a prime contract position on the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's SHIELD indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity program, positioning the company to compete for future task orders supporting national security objectives. The selection validates AST SpaceMobile's dual-use space-based cellular broadband technology featuring the largest commercial phased arrays ever deployed in low Earth orbit, with applications spanning command and control, battle management, and advanced sensing for integrated national defense.

The SHIELD contract is part of the broader Golden Dome strategy focused on building resilient, layered protection against air, missile, space, cyber, and hybrid threats from all operational domains. AST SpaceMobile operates nearly 500,000 square feet of manufacturing facilities in Texas with 95% vertical integration under U.S. control, employing nearly 1,800 people supported by over 3,800 patent and patent pending claims across its technology platform.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ: KTOS) opened a new 55,000-square-foot state-of-the-art hypersonic system manufacturing and payload integration facility in Princess Anne, Maryland, significantly enhancing capabilities to support launch operations and hypersonic testing for the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed 2.0 program and customers from the U.S. Navy, US Air Force, DARPA, and the Missile Defense Agency. The facility features advanced manufacturing capabilities, specialized integration areas, and enhanced testing equipment strategically located near NASA Wallops Flight Facility to optimize logistics and operational efficiencies.

"The new facility enables us to increase production capacity, streamline payload integration processes, and respond even more rapidly to the growing demand for affordable hypersonic flight testing," said Dave Carter, President of Kratos Defense & Rocket Support Services Division. "The Princess Anne facility will play a crucial role in supporting our $1.4 billion MACH-TB 2.0 contract and other critical programs, enabling increased test cadence and more affordable flight test opportunities for hypersonic technologies."

Mercury Systems (NASDAQ: MRCY) announced contracts totaling more than $60 million for work on two critical U.S. space and strategic weapons programs. The company secured a development contract extension for a large strategic weapons program leveraging expertise in radiation-hardened data and signal processing, extending work through 2031, plus a new contract to produce radiation-tolerant wideband storage and processing subsystems featuring AMD Versal AI Core series FPGAs and 4.5 terabyte data storage drives for a U.S. national security space program.

"Mercury is proud to support these critical U.S. national security missions," said Roya Montakhab, Senior Vice President of Integrated Processing Solutions. "The Mercury Processing Platform features unique capabilities that deliver enhanced performance and resiliency for space and strategic weapons programs, and these awards highlight the increasing demand for our technology in these domains."

The company's radiation-tolerant subsystem represents its second customer adoption following 2024's initial contract for another satellite program. Mercury Systems maintains deployment in more than 300 programs across 35 countries with headquarters in Andover, Massachusetts and over 20 global locations.

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) successfully launched its 21st Electron rocket of the year to deploy the QPS-SAR-15 satellite for Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, establishing a new annual launch record with 100% mission success. The spacecraft joins the synthetic aperture radar constellation providing near-real time imagery across twelve orbits for iQPS's global customers, with Rocket Lab having deployed seven satellites to the constellation since first launching for iQPS in 2023.

"Congratulations to iQPS on this latest successful mission for their constellation, and to the Rocket Lab team on a fantastic record-setting year of Electron launches," said Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab. "Electron makes frequent and reliable launch look easy as it outpaces all other American small-lift orbital rockets, year after year."

The record cements Electron as America's preeminent small launch provider and the world's most frequently-launched small-lift orbital rocket. Five additional launches on Electron for iQPS are planned from 2026, with the next Electron launch scheduled for early Q1 2026.

Article Sources: https://usanewsgroup.com/2025/09/11/the-ai-defense-technology-developments-potentially-relevant-in-2025-26/ 

CONTACT:
USA NEWS GROUP
[email protected]
[phone]

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this publication should be considered as personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are thus neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The content in this report or email is not provided to any individual with a view toward their individual circumstances. USA News Group is owned by Market IQ Media Group, Inc. ("MIQ"). This article is being distributed for MIQ, who has been paid a fee for VisionWave Holdings, Inc. advertising and digital media from the company directly. There may be 3rd parties who may have securities of VisionWave Holdings, Inc., and may liquidate their shares which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged to not use this publication as the basis for any investment decision. The owner/operator of MIQ owns securities of VisionWave Holdings, Inc. which were purchased in the open market. MIQ reserves the right to buy and sell, and will buy and sell shares of VisionWave Holdings, Inc. at any time thereafter without any further notice. We also expect further compensation as an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company, no further notice will be given, but let this disclaimer serve as notice that all material, including this article, which is disseminated by MIQ has been approved by VisionWave Holdings, Inc.; this is a paid advertisement, and we own shares of the mentioned company that we will sell, and we also reserve the right to buy shares of the company in the open market, or through other investment vehicles. While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in our newsletter is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Also, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between any predictions and actual results. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decision. Be extremely careful, investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may likely lose some or all of the investment. This publication may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations and beliefs and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described. Forward-looking statements in this document are subject to risks and uncertainties, including technological, regulatory, market, and geopolitical factors, which may cause actual results to differ materially. VisionWave Holdings, Inc. makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy of third-party projections or market data cited herein. For more information on risks, see VisionWave Holdings Inc.'s filings with the SEC.

SOURCES:

1. https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/2026/01/16/pentagon-mobilizes-industrial-base-for-golden-dome-missile-shield-with-151b-shield-award/
2. https://www.morganlewis.com/pubs/2025/12/defense-funding-and-policies-set-for-next-year-as-fy2026-ndaa-becomes-law
3. https://www.startus-insights.com/innovators-guide/defense-industry-report/

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2838876/5656770/USA_News_Group_Logo.jpg